French police say gunmen are holed up in a store near Paris with about 10 people still inside. Special forces have been called to the scene.

French police and firefighters at the scene of a shooting near Paris in January. Illustration photo: Reuters

"At around 6:30 am, two or three armed criminals entered a Primark store, we suspect, to rob them," AFP quoted an unnamed police source as saying. The incident happened in the Villeneuve-la-Garenne area, north of the capital Paris.

Le Parisien reported that the number of hostages was 18 people and that one gunman may have been a Primark employee.

Another police source said an employee alerted her boyfriend about the incident at around 7am, who texted them that they had been kidnapped by two armed men.

Police have closed off traffic at the Qwartz shopping centre, where the Primark store is located. All nearby shops are closed.

There is currently no information about casualties or demands from the gunmen.

Location of Villeneuve-la-Garenne area. Graphics: Google Maps.

(According to VNE)